Beko WDA91440W

A versatile washer dryer for less than £500

What is the Beko WDA91440W?

The WDA91440W is a feature packed washer dryer from Beko with an impressive 9kg load capacity for washing or a sizeable 6kg load for washing and drying all-in-one go. It offers 16 pre-set programmes to suit different clothing types and it has two fast wash modes for when you’re in a hurry.

This A rated energy efficient washer dryer uses direct air cooling technology that draws outside air in during the drying process to cool the condenser. Against other washer-dryers that use cold water for cooling the condenser this can save you up to 95 bath tubs of water per year. This model also feature’s the company’s Aquafusion technology, which is claimed to reduce the amount of detergent wasted during a washing cycle by 10%. With a clear LCD display to keep you informed of your washing progress and a countdown timer, the Beko WDA91440W is a neat all round package.

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Beko WDA91440W: What is it like to use?

The main controls are fairly self-explanatory with all the programmes set around a large dial that illuminates your chosen setting. There is also a more detailed LCD screen with touch buttons that allows you to adjust the spin speed and temperature of the chosen programme, as well as access other options such as delay start or extra rinse. The on/off touch control button is not very sensitive so needs to have a firm finger press to get the ball rolling although there is no such problem with the start button.

A countdown timer and progress bar are on display on the LCD screen, although their accuracy varied considerably.  The drying function of the Beko WDA91440W can be programmed at the start of the washing cycle depending on the weight of the washing and how dry you want it before the cycle ends. Alternatively, it can be programmed separately using wet washing and set to 1 of 4 levels of dryness.

Beko WDA91440W: How noisy is it?

The Beko WDA91440W measured fairly quiet on a wash cycle (58dB) and relatively quiet on the spin cycle (74dB). This disagreed with Bekos figures in both ways, the published numbers being 55dB for washing and 77dB for spinning. We found the actual noise generated during a drying cycle to be miles away from Beko’s figures – in a good way! We measured an average of around 60dB against Beko’s claimed 70dB, which is a massive difference. However, as the WDA91440W is quieter than we expected on two out of three of its functions, we are not complaining.

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Beko WDA91440W: What programmes does it have?

This Beko WDA91440W has plenty of programmes to cover a broad variety of washing clothes and requirements. Apart from the usual cotton, cotton eco, synthetic, woollen and hand wash cycles there is also a dedicated shirts wash.

The real winners are the two quick wash options for the busty household. There is a Daily Xpress for up to 9kg of washing that takes 39mins to complete, and the Xpress Super Short for up to 2kg of washing that is complete in 14mins – great timesavers.

Programme options to run a complete wash and dry cycle are also plentiful catering for cotton, synthetic dry, an anti-allergy wash and dry and a straight forward wash and wear cycle. There are four levels of drying to choose from, iron dry, wardrobe dry, extra wardrobe dry and a delicate dry.  

Added together with further additional options available including extra rinsing, spins speed and a handy anti-crease function, that will gently tumble your washing after the spin cycle to loosen the fibres and lessen the wrinkles before ironing, this machine is incredibly versatile.  

Beko WDA91440W: How well does it wash?

For our tests we ran four different wash cycles; a 40°C cotton wash with a 7.2kg (80%) full load at 1400 spin speed, a 40°C cotton wash with 3kg (50%) load all the way through to dry, a 40°C cotton wash with a 3.6kg (40%) load at 1400 spin speed and a 40°C cotton eco wash with a 3.6kg (40%) load at 1400 spin speed. The choice of an 80% load is more in tune with a genuine load as very few people stuff their washing machine to maximum capacity. We included a test stain strip in the first wash, stained with dried on ketchup, coffee, blood, red wine and engine oil. We used a major brand non-biological detergent washing powder.

The timings for all the washes were very inconsistent, with the first wash running over by a whopping 1hr 48mins on top of the 1hr 47mins initially indicated.  The two 40% loads were a bit more accurate with the first one coming in exactly on the time of 1hr 47mins indicated and the second one overrunning by 20mins on the 2hrs 36mins indicated.  The full wash & dry cycle was actually 57mins quicker than the 4hrs 12mins indicated, curtailed short as our cotton-base test load is fairly easy to dry.

Wash results were a little above average for a mid-price washer and a quite good for a washer dryer at this price, which generally show poorer wash performance than pure washers. Ironically, the WDA914440W washer-dryer tested here washed slightly cleaner than Beko’s own WMB91442 washing machine also tested this month. All five stains were still just visible after the main 40°C wash with non-bio powder, the coffee and wine proving very stubborn to shift for the Beko.

As is common among mid-priced washer dryers, the spin results were generally well below the average when compared to mid-priced dedicated washing machines. The first load left a hefty 4.3kg (60%) of water from a dry weight of 7.2kg of clothing and the second wash leaving 1.6kg (44%) of water from a dry weight of 3.6kg.  

At least the eco wash fared a little better, leaving 1.2kg (33%) of water from a 3.6kg dry weight although this cycle used 0.133KWh more than the standard wash therefore costing more electricity. The only thing eco about this cycle was that it used slightly less water (10.6 litres) than the standard wash. It is not uncommon for half-load eco modes to use more electricity than a full eco-mode washes, but rarely does that appear in the manual. For best results with eco washes, always use a full load.

Its tumble-drying performance, however, was very good, and if anything we thought some that it dried a little ‘dryer’ than would be expected from its four described levels of iron dry, wardrobe dry, extra wardrobe dry and a delicate dry. The Beko WDA91440W fully dried the clothing in the wash & dry cycle to a comprehensively extra dry state, allowing clothing to be worn straight from the drum. This is never going to be a cheap way to dry your washing, and the cost of this convenience works out around 30p per wash with this Beko.

Beko WDA91440W: How much will it cost to run?

Based on an average UK household use (200 x 40°C 80% max load and 40 x 40°C 40% half load with a 50/50 split on normal and eco programmes), the Beko WDA91440W annual running cost is a fairly stiff £43.98 on washing alone. Over the life of the appliance that is likely to be a higher cost than the machine itself.

Moreover, the Beko is not one of the most economical washer dryers for its drying cycle either. In our tests drying a half load added 30p (2kw) to the cycle, so If you did 100 x half load drying cycles per year it would add around £30 to your annual running costs. Premium washer driers like the Samsung WD906U4SAGD will halve that figure. Do note that the type of clothes and the degree of dryness selected will vary the actual costs. Specific figures for power and water use are available on the specs page.

Should I buy the Beko WDA91440W?

This is a simple, does-what-it-says-on-the-tin machine with plenty of programmes.  It is easy to use, easy to load and easy to read. It looks smart with its chrome door surround and the detergent tray is easy to remove for cleaning. The wash results were average but with the help of some biological powder this would improve. Energy and eco is not a strong point either as the power figures show, however It does offer great value at the price for the wealth of features on offer – you would be hard pressed to buy even budget separate washer and dryer for less.

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*Annual figure based on the average UK household running 200 x 40°C 80% max loads and 40 x 40°C 40% half loads (50/50 split normal & eco).

** Annual drying figures based on a 40% half load and 100 drying cycles per year.

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